Alex Rodriguez boasts a healthy net worth of millions of dollars. Some of them came from lucrative contracts from his days in baseball. The rest is from his role as a businessman, from owning A-Rod Corp to Minnesota’s NBA and WNBA teams. The former New York Yankees player has bounced around from job to job but a consistency has been maintained. A-Rod credits it all to his heroes.

As hardworking as they come, Rodriguez gives his 100% to whatever he puts his mind to. It separated him from his peers in MLB when he played, and his success in business speaks for itself today. Always a pioneer for working toward his dreams, the retired ballplayer credits his motivation to some classic athletic names.

Alex Rodriguez Was a Huge Fan of Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, and Muhammad Ali

All powerhouses in their individual eras, Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, and ‘the Greatest’ boxer on the planet, are some of the most well-known names across the country. Growing up, like any kid who wanted to make a name for themselves, Alex Rodriguez grew up a fan of all three. Talking on The Rich Dad Channel, the ex-Yankees player discusses how being a 14x All-Star athlete translated into success in business.

“I grew up loving Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan, Muhammad Ali – these are all phenomenal workers. And here’s the thing Kim, all of them, black belt fundamentalists. If you think about the greatest athletes, or the greatest entrepreneurs, in history, they have the fundamentals locked,” Rodriguez tells Robert and Kim Kiyosaki.

“And they know it at a level that is so sophisticated. And I always say to young entrepreneurs, ‘Don’t go wide and shallow, go narrow and deep.’ What are the one or two things you can be the best in the world at that, or at least, reach 100% of your potential.”

Incidentally, A-Rod disregarded the ‘never meet your heroes’ quote and is good friends with Johnson. The two NBA legends, Jordan as well as Johnson, have a history of being successful in business after sports. So Rodriguez is following in the best footsteps!

When Chasing a Passion, 9-5 Will Never Work

In the same segment, the retired slugger also refers to how difficult it can be to be an athlete. It doesn’t matter what dream one is chasing, treating it like most do a 9-5 job will never work. “Never punching in, there’s no 9 to 5. If you wanna be a great athlete, it’s 365, 24/7. You have to grind it out every day,” A-Rod said.

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Talent and passion are a unique combination but unless there’s some serious hustle involved, no one will get anywhere successfully.

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